The 2014 Library Design Showcase

By Phil Morehart | September 3, 2014

Welcome to the 2014 Library Design Showcase, our annual celebration of new and newly renovated libraries. These libraries are shining examples of innovative architecture that address user needs in unique, interesting, and effective ways.

Open Spaces

The new learning commons at Salem State is a model of space and openness. The floating form of its central staircase reinforces this notion, and pleated glass walls that face the new quad reach out into the green space, drawing patrons to seats that line the wall.

The new Glen Oaks branch is twice the size of the previous building and provides reading rooms on three floors, community rooms, and computers throughout. The use of space continues outside with a landscaped plaza and exterior reading garden open to the public.

New construction

Marble Fairbanks

Size: 18,000 square feet

Cost: $11.75 million

Photo: Eduard Huber; Arch Photos, Inc.; Marble Fairbanks

Reuse and Restoration

New York Public Library, Stapleton Branch

NYPL renovated the existing 1907 Carnegie Library in Stapleton, Staten Island, blending old and new by adding a new 7,000-square-foot modern addition alongside the older building. The addition is constructed of glue-laminated Douglas fir posts, beams, joists, and roof. The older adjacent building was transformed into a children’s reading room.

Samuel Coleridge-Taylor Elementary embraces its past with this renovation. Old elements were discarded to reveal existing historic architectural structures. Brick archways hidden behind walls now make up the entryway, and an original hardwood floor more than 100 years old now shines after being freed from a laminate cover.

Renovation

JRS Architects

Size: 2,400 square feet

Cost: $480,000

Photo: JSR Architects/Alain Jaramillo

Corvallis-Benton County (Oreg.) Public Library, Monroe Community Library

This new library is a part of the last remaining freight depot in Benton County, Oregon. The library was constructed as an addition to the depot itself, which was restored and housed meeting facilities. The building is a perfect match of old and new: Original historical features, including graffiti, were preserved, while solar and geothermal energy sources were added.

Adaptive Reuse

Broadleaf Architecture

Size: 7,550 square feet

Cost: $2 million

Photo: Corvallis-Benton County Public Library Staff

For the Kids

New York Public Library, Washington Heights Branch

The Washington Heights children’s reading room encompasses the entirety of the branch’s second floor. The open space features a loop of shelving and casework that encircles the reading areas, provides seating at each window, and features self-checkout stations. Couches are paired with window seats to create intimate spaces within the room.

Renovation

Andrew Berman Architect

Size: 3,300 square feet

Cost: $2.1 million

Photo: Naho Kubota

Centennial Library, Midland, Texas

Midland County transformed a former retail store into a modern, kid-friendly public library. Four steel trees were constructed inside the building that project nature videos and sounds onto a painted pathway. Additional video projections enliven the children’s area, as does the section’s centerpiece: a real hot air balloon donated by a Pennsylvania woman. After making its flight to Texas, the balloon was resized to fit in the library with its bottom basket becoming a reading area for kids and their parents.

Adaptive Reuse

Dewberry

Size: 33,000 square feet

Cost: $3.48 million

Photo: Timothy Hursley

Disaster Recovery

Birmingham (Ala.) Public Library, Pratt City Branch

Reconstructed after being damaged by tornadoes in 2011, Pratt City Library was reborn as a lantern of inspiration and learning for the community. The lantern design motif also recalls the area’s coal mining history, and local museum artifacts were incorporated throughout the new reading room and stacks.

Renovation

Herrington Architects, P.C.

Size: 8,392 square feet

Cost: $1.5 million

Photo: Sherwood Cox Photography

Brooklyn Public Library, Coney Island Branch

After being severely damaged by Superstorm Sandy in 2012 and flooded with five feet of water, the Coney Island branch was rebuilt to reflect the history of the area. The walls are filled with murals of archival images, and salvaged planks from the boardwalk are integrated into the new ceiling.

Renovation

BHC Architects

Size: 6,000 square feet

Cost: $2.7 million

Photo: Emily Andrews

Culinary Learning

Free Library of Philadelphia, Parkway Central Branch

The renovations of the Parkway Central branch included the construction of a demonstration kitchen to provide culinary literacy classes to children, teens, families, and adults. The facility includes three ovens, a grill top, 16 burners (four of which are on the demo island), a walk-in fridge, seating for 36 at nine tables, three cameras that provide views of the prep space and the burners with feeds to a big flatscreen TV, and an outdoor patio with an new herb garden for class use.

Renovation

Safdie Architects

Size: 324,000 square feet

Cost: $1.08 million

Photo: Eileen Owens

Going Green

Armstrong Atlantic State University, Lane Library, Savannah, Georgia

The new learning commons extension at the Lane Library repurposed an existing space into a LEED Gold-certified facility that includes a green roof, energy-efficient mechanical systems and lighting fixtures, and solar panels to produce renewable energy.

Renovation

Cogdell and Mendrala Architects

Size: 66,022 square feet

Cost: $3.89 million

Photo: Richard Leo Johnson

Hillsboro (Oreg.) Public Library, Shute Park Branch

As a showcase project in the Better Buildings Challenge by the US Department of Energy, Shute Park underwent extensive renovations to increase energy efficiency. An efficient HVAC system was installed, exterior lighting was replaced with LED, motion sensors were installed, the window system was replaced with insulated glass, and exterior wall insulation and a more effective and efficient roof were added. Based on an energy usage assessment, the estimated energy and cost savings are expected to improve by 20%.

Renovation

Hennebery Eddy Architects

Size: 15,000 square feet

Cost: $3.76 million

Photo: City of Hillsboro

Service Flexibility

Cuyahoga County (Ohio) Public Library, Parma-Snow Branch

The Parma-Snow renovation was undertaken with the community’s needs in mind. The building was expanded from 12,000 to 41,000 square feet and now features AV-equipped meeting rooms, more than 40 computer stations, an outdoor reading garden, a café, and an impressive black box public auditorium.

Renovation and Expansion

Holzheimer Bolek + Meehan Architects

Size: 41,000 square feet

Cost: $15.2 million

Photo: Cuyahoga County (Ohio) Public Library

Madison (Wis.) Public Library, Central Library

In addition to a three-story atrium that increases natural light and new daylit reading rooms, the Madison Central Library renovation added a new third floor for community use, featuring an art gallery, meeting rooms, and an outdoor terrace that overlooks a green roof. The floor can be rented for private events as well.

“Study villages” made up of 16 small study rooms grouped along a main path are a highlight of the Main Library commons renovation. A café, larger group study rooms, open collaborative spaces, and additional quiet areas complement the design.

Renovation

Architects Smith Metzger

Size: 427,000 square feet

Cost: $8 million

Photo: Main Street Studio, Iowa City

Collaborative Spaces

When Tidewater Community College and the City of Virginia Beach discovered that they were about to build libraries across the street from each other, they combined forces to build a joint academic and public library. In addition to housing academic and popular materials, the new building includes 200 public computers, more than 30 collaborative work spaces, public meeting rooms, and a café.

New construction

Carrier Johnson + Culture

Size: 125,000 square feet

Cost: $43 million

Photo: Courtesy of the City of Virginia Beach

Share

Tagged Under

Related Articles

Kiwi librarians are being asked to do more to make homeless people feel welcome. The call went out September 24–27 at the Library and Information Association of New Zealand Aotearoa conference in Christchurch, where a book club for the homeless hosted at the Auckland library has been held up as an example of what others should be doing. LIANZA President Louise LaHatte would like to see libraries around the country follow Auckland’s lead.

As we mark 2017’s National Adult Education and Family Literacy Week, September 24–30, libraries across the country are transforming lives through literacy services for adults and families. The correlation between literacy and income inequality, health outcomes, and rates of incarceration underscores how literacy intersects with equity, access, and inclusion. Libraries are helping to address such disparities in equity, access, and outcomes through their adult and family literacy services.

ACRL has released Academic Library Impact: Improving Practice and Essential Areas to Research. Developed for ACRL by OCLC Research, this valuable resource investigates how libraries can increase student learning and success and effectively communicate their value to higher education stakeholders. The full report is freely available for download on the ACRL website. The document recommends where more research is needed in areas critical to the higher education sector such as accreditation and academic achievement.

Edited by Susanne Caro,Government Information Essentials, published by ALA Editions, gathers the expertise of experienced government information librarians from across the country to provide real-world insight into the work, collections, and interests of this discipline. The book discusses what it’s like to be a government documents librarian, from the first day on the job through taking on a management role.

Cara Giaimo writes: “In June 1944, American troops prepared to storm the beaches of Normandy. As they lined up to board the invasion barges, each was issued something less practical than a weapon, but equally precious: a slim, postcard-sized, softcover book. These were Armed Services Editions—paperbacks specifically designed to fit in a soldier’s pockets and travel with them wherever they went. Between 1943 and 1947, the US military sent 123 million copies of over 1,000 titles to troops serving overseas.”

The National Book Foundation announced September 21 that it will award Annie Proulx with its 2017 Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. Proulx, author of many novels and short stories, including The Shipping News, Postcards, and “Brokeback Mountain,” is being honored for her exceptional work and significant impact on American literature. The award will be presented to Proulx by Academy Award-winning actress Anne Hathaway, who starred in the film Brokeback Mountain.

Maren Williams writes: “Every year, the ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom receives reports of book challenges from around the country—that is, a request from an individual or group for a book to be restricted or removed from a library or classroom. Over the years OIF has tracked the reasons cited for these challenges, and designer Tim Leong distilled the data regarding comics and graphic novels into this infographic. Read on for more information on each of the categories and challenged books.”